A Touch Of Redemption
by E. J. Noel
Summary: And maybe in death, there would be some way for Severus Snape to find an answer to a question he had never allowed himself to utter to anyone. Had he redeemed himself? - Oneshot


_I made this story some time ago, it was made based on a piece of art my friend drew. You can find me on the HP amino under the same name. _

_I hope you enjoy._

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To any other human who walked the halls, the thin layer of dust might not have been noticed in the slightest. However, the man who strode through the torch-lit hallways spotted every small speck.

But even though his dark eyes noticed it, his mind was not in a place where it could focus on calling a House Elf to clean. No, his mind was far away, it had left him the second his bare feet met the cold stone floor in his chambers that morning when he rose from his uncomfortable slumber.

As if the wind had carried it for him, it had turned to focus on nature outside, far from the castle and the horrors surrounding the world he was living in.

Somehow, his mind had found that summer where he had spent most of it with his dearest childhood friend reading books outside in the sun. Almost as if the memory had been playing before his eyes, the girlish laughter he heard in his head made him turn around and blink.

Just like that, the memory was gone and all his eyes could see were the sleeping paintings and his ears picked up the soft snoring of some of them.

There had been no laughter and he had just allowed his mind to play a trick on himself. Mortified by his sudden lack of awareness, the tall lanky man sped up and with his brisk pace; he reached his destination within a few seconds.

The tall and dark oak doors were closed this early in the morning but he did not mind, in fact, he appreciated the sound of the heavy doors as they slowly moved aside for him. It helped remove the haunting memory his mind had been swept up in not long before.

Entering the room, he suddenly saw it from another perspective. He was shorter, nervous and was standing beside a girl, one who looked nervous too but also exited. He had been sorted into Slytherin in that very room many years ago.

Unsure of why, he took three long steps and softly placed his open hand on one of the four long tables. For hundreds of years, students had sat by them, just like he had sat by the one belonging to the Slytherin House.

Why had they all been separated?

The thought was not new to him, it had appeared in his mind for many years ever since a hat separated him from the one person he knew he could never live without. What was the point in putting up barriers when wizards around the world were trying to show that it was not the right way for their kind?

As a student, he had not found an answer. When he entered the school again not long after his graduation as a professor, he still had no answer

And even now as Headmaster, he still doubted the wisdom and the decisions that had been made in the past.

Maybe there were some questions in life that were not supposed to be answered.

While his feet led him further into the room, his hand never fully left the wooden surface of the table. Only when there was no longer any table to hold onto, did he notice he had arrived at the Head Table.

Staring in surprise at the tall chair in the middle, his thin lips slowly turned downwards in a frown. This had never been his plan; it had not been a part of the agreement he had made with Albus Dumbledore all those years ago.

In a sudden burst of irritation, he grabbed his wand tightly and with a sharp flick, the whole table vanished, leaving a broad an empty space for him to stare upon. Why had he done that?

A prickle of pain sprang forward in his head; he had overused his minds capabilities when he dug up those memories from before. Fighting an urge to allow his hand to go to his head, the dark haired man looked upwards at the large window.

He had never really thought much of it before because the Headmasters seat had always taken the focus from everything around it.

But now the window was there, letting the first rays of the morning sun into the dark room. As the sun rose, its light crawled through the window and illuminated the space around him, allowing his eyes to pick out the small specks of dust that danced in the air.

How had he missed a sight like this for so many years?

With all the things he had done and with all the things he had seen, was it even right for him to find something like this beautiful?

Could a simple sunrise make it easier for him to fill his lungs with air and blink away the last sleep that held his eyes? It seemed so.

Unbeknownst to himself, he took a small step closer to the window and closed his eyes as the sun rose high enough for its light to reach his face. It's warmth felt like a familiar touch, one he had forced himself to forget many years ago.

Lily's touch had been just as warm as gentle as sunlight and her smile had been able to brighten a room and even light a fire in his heart.

She had been special and he had stolen her from the world out of selfish and careless actions. And as the thought entered his mind, it felt as if the sun could not reach him anymore and the room grew cold once again.

Unconsciously, his hand flexed in an attempt to reach out and grab the warmth that had left him. But he caught himself in mid-action and forced his body to stay still. He was being childish and he knew it.

Here he was, yet again dreaming of something he could never have, something he never deserved.

And yet he could not stop yearning for it.

Before turning his back to the window and leaving the Great Hall, he allowed his dark eyes to take in the rising sun one last time. Because this sunrise could very well be the last he ever saw.

And maybe in death, there would be some way for Severus Snape to find an answer to a question he had never allowed himself to utter to anyone.

Had he redeemed himself?

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_Leave a comment and let me know what you thought. :)_


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